SHANGHAI/YANCHENG, Jiangsu, Dec. 3 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to speed up building Shanghai into a modern, socialist and international metropolis by focusing on the construction of international centers of economy, finance, trade, shipping and sci-tech innovation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in Shanghai that ran from Tuesday to Saturday.

Xi urged Shanghai to accelerate building itself into a modern, socialist and international metropolis with global influence, and play a leading and exemplary role in advancing Chinese modernization.

He inspected the Shanghai Futures Exchange on Tuesday afternoon as soon as he got off a train.

Xi urged the exchange to speed up the construction of a world-class exchange, and make greater contributions to exploring the futures regulatory system and business model with Chinese characteristics and building an international financial center.

When visiting Zhangjiang Science City in the Pudong New Area, Xi said promoting Chinese modernization can not be separated from the strategic support of science and technology, education and talent, and that Shanghai should take a lead in this respect.

On Wednesday afternoon, Xi visited a residential community in Minhang District that is dedicated to providing affordable rental housing for new urban dwellers, young people and frontline workers.

Xi said he was pleased to see city builders from all over the country living and working here with joy and contentment.

Migrant workers who come to make contributions in Shanghai are also masters of the city, he said.

On Friday morning, Xi was briefed on the city's work by the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai municipal government.

Xi noted that accelerating the construction of Shanghai as international centers of economy, finance, trade, shipping and sci-tech innovation is an important task entrusted to the city by the CPC Central Committee.

Xi stressed that Shanghai should intensify its research to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, boost the transformation and upgrading of its traditional industries, and continuously enhance its status as an international center of economy and its influence in global economic governance.

More efforts should be made to promote high-level financial opening-up to better serve the real economy, sci-tech innovation, and the joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi said.

He noted that the city should implement its strategy of upgrading its pilot free trade zone in full, promote the development of the international trade center, and enhance its capability of global allocation of shipping resources.

Xi stressed that Shanghai should comprehensively deepen reform and opening-up from a higher starting point, urging the city to devote significant energy to promoting pioneering reform and opening-up on all fronts.

Shanghai should also foster a world-class business environment, stimulate the vitality of various business entities, and strengthen its attractiveness to high-end resources at home and abroad, he noted.

Xi pointed out that Shanghai should explore a new path of modernization in megacity governance with Chinese characteristics, and that improving people's living standards and well-being is the original aspiration and ultimate goal of urban construction and governance.

He highlighted efforts to deepen culture-related institutional reforms and invigorate the innovation and creativity of culture.

Noting that Shanghai is the birthplace of the Communist Party of China, Xi emphasized the importance of making good use of local resources to carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party and build a team of high-caliber, professional officials that matches the standards of a modern, socialist and international metropolis.

On his return journey to Beijing on Sunday, Xi visited a memorial hall of the New Fourth Army in Yancheng, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the CPC Central Committee general office, was also on the inspection tour.